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“But…” I echo back, giving a tiny shrug. “I mean, that’s basically it. We, uh, both sort of have the same type, but neither of us is that type, so...”
“The List.” Understanding dawns on her face. “I know Cade’s bi, but are you saying everyone on it is all…”
She flutters her hand, as if encompassing our whole previous conversation.
I nod. “Hot older guys who look like they could turn you over their knee for a good spanking? Yes.”
Sympathy washes over her face. “Ohhhhh… Well, that is a problem.”
“Yeah,” I agree, sucking moodily at my unreasonably delicious drink as I look out over the sparkling sand and endless blue water. I sigh. “It’s a problem.”
One that’s not going away, even though I’ve been trying my damnedest to avoid it. Because everything I’ve just told my cousin is true, but it’s also not the whole truth. Cade is also my type. That’s the other truth. It’s not like I want to leave him and go find a Hot Henry of my own. I don’t want to leave Cade at all. I love him.
The real problem is that I’m just not sure that’s enough anymore.
Chapter 3
Henry
* * *
“Henry! I was starting to give up on you,” Sophia calls out as she pulls away from Victor, her fiancé, and glides across the lanai toward me.
I don’t blame her. I wasn’t able to join her and her wedding guests for the scheduled day of guided activities around the resort as I’d intended, and with the sun just beginning its descent beyond the horizon, casting a warm golden blow over the turquoise waters as a gentle breeze rustles the fairy-light-studded palm fronds above, the outdoor reception I arranged for tonight is already in full swing.
Regardless of my late arrival, though, the resort staff has outdone themselves, if I do say so myself. We may be a bit stretched thin on the island right now, but they’ve managed to create a scene of ethereal beauty, and the low, happy murmur of laughter from Sophia’s guests reminds the romantic in me why I’ve chosen to dedicate myself to my family’s legacy in the hospitality industry.
Of course, trying to fill my time with work because it’s lacking in the personal relationship department could be seen as another reason, but I choose not to let my mind go there. I’m not willing to settle, and seeing the happiness that comes with finding the right person—like Sophia with Victor—just proves my point.
“Hello, my dear,” I say when Sophia reaches me, accepting the glass of champagne she hands over. “You look lovely tonight.”
“Charmer.” She laughs, kissing both my cheeks, then turns to stand by my side, facing the dance floor and giving my shoulder a playful bump with hers. “I really am glad to see you, you know. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten you were on our guest list!”
“Of course not.”
I raise my glass of champagne toward Victor. He nods in acknowledgment, sending me a warm smile, then turns back to the group he’s chatting with.
Sophia scoffs at my answer. “Agreeing to be our guest means you’re supposed to enjoy your gorgeous resort this week, Henry, not work at it,” she says, knowing me a little too well. “Don’t you have staff for that sort of thing? Victor and I have barely seen you!”
I chuckle. “My staff is excellent, thank you very much, but I’m sure you understand why there’s more to do than usual at the moment.”
An off-season storm hit us a couple of months back, and even though the resort has safeguards in place and is built to withstand such things, we took quite a bit of damage. Luckily, my staff is well equipped for repairs, and other than a few places which we still have cordoned off for our guests’ safety, we were quickly able to reopen most areas.
Sophia sighs. “Okay, fair enough. But is it selfish of me to say that I’m glad that storm hit before my wedding?” She shakes her head without giving me time to reply. “Of course it is, and I know it. Does that make me a bridezilla?”
I give her an indulgent smile. “Not at all. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make lovely memories. It’s what we’re here for.”
She turns to face me, resting her hand on my forearm. “In case I haven’t said so, thank you, Henry. It really is amazing here on the island, and you know I’ve always wanted a destination wedding. Victor and I both really appreciate you making this possible for us.”
“I’m happy I could help,” I say, struck with a poignant sense of… not loss. Or at least, not for her. Sophia truly is lovely, but we weren’t well-suited to each other, and I’m sincerely happy she’s found a man who she can finally find the happiness she deserves with.
But there’s no denying that, at forty-five and still single, the desire to settle down and find that kind of happiness for myself is strong. The problem is simply finding a partner, the right partner, with whom to do it, and since that hasn’t been in the cards… well, as I said. I’m not one to be willing to settle.
A couple on the dance floor catches my eye, one who perfectly epitomizes why I won’t. They look radiant together. The woman—with long, wavy dark hair and lush curves that make my mouth water—has her arms draped around her partner’s neck as they sway together to the music, and she’s staring up at him with a sultry playfulness that instantly wakes my libido up with a vengeance.
I also can’t blame her for the hungry gaze her partner inspires in her, and I indulge myself for a moment and let my gaze roam over his firm muscles and high, tight ass, too.
Then she goes up on her toes and kisses him, putting such feeling into it that a wave of longing hits me hard enough to feel like a physical blow to the chest.
